Faye and the Fandom of a Chinese Diva

This article explores the fans of Chinese Cantopop diva Faye Wong, a pop icon often expropriated to project a new Asian femininity. Unlike earlier Cantopop stars, Faye's values, images and songs are anchored by the presumption that she is independent, unconventional, and contentious. This is precisely how she is able to create and provide expression and aspiration to a middle-class female fandom that have to reconcile family roles with her independent and modern career image. This article examines the process by which fans subtly appropriate Faye's persona and engage in independent trajectories and various struggles against existing cultural norms and gendered family values. Using ethnographic methods and in-depth interviews over a six-year period, the author identifies the dilemmas and social contradictions that these fans face in Chinese communities.